English has more than 3 million words (we like to borrow, a lot) Most languages have far fewer words Some languages rarely borrow, and only reluctantly The French vigorously attempt to preserve the purity of their language by excluding words from other languages But, English, from its start, has always taken words from many sources and incorporated them WHY DO YOU THINK OUR LANGUAGE IS LIKE THAT?

 The primary meaning of a word comes from its root, or base. In addition to roots, affixes also create meaning. Affixes are word parts added to either the beginning or end of a word. Prefixes come BEFORE the root. Suffixes come AFTER the root.

About half of the English words are derived, or come from, Greek and Latin roots. Knowing these roots will help you know the meaning of words before we look them up in the dictionary. It also helps to see how words are often arranged in families with similar characteristics. RootMeaningExampleaqua-water Moody Garden’s aquarium is full of interesting fish. cardi-heart My uncle saw a cardiologist about the pain in his chest. funct- perform, work I was having a malfunction with my projector before school started..

Common PrefixesPrefixMeaningExamplepre-before They will show a sneak preview of the movie. un-not The plot was unbelievable! re-again She will rewrite that part of the story. mis-not I must have misunderstood her. bi-two She rides a bicycle to school. Prefixes are word parts added to the beginning of a word. Prefixes change the meaning of the word. Ex. I agree with all of the rules we have established at this school. I disagree with all of the rules we have established at this school.

Common SuffixessuffixMeaningExample-able able to The plot was unbelievable! -ous full of Exploring space can be dangerous. -ness state of being She will filled with happiness. -ful full of The train ride was wonderful. Suffixes are word parts added to the end of a word. Suffixes change the words part of speech. Ex. Rick Perry governs over the state of Texas. (governs is a verb.) The government of our state regulates all of the laws in our state. (government is a noun) bin/phonics/wbw/fishtanks.pl?pre=&base=&suf=&Submit=Continue&ind=0&lastright=true&correct=0&wrong=0